It is well known to form an opening in a beverage can by means of a manually manipulatable tab member. The tab member is pulled and pivoted to bear against a portion of the top of the can defined by a line or lines of weakness. Such arrangements are commonly known as "pop top" cans.
A number of devices have been devised in the past in which drinking straws are stored within the interior of a can, the drinking straw being exposed for use after the can has been opened by a tab member.
The following United States Patents are believed to be generally representative of the state of the art in this field, all of the patents disclosing structure for making a drink straw available to the user which is wholly or partially stored within the confines of a container and exposed for use after the container has been opened: U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,827, issued Dec. 22, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,422, issued Oct. 20, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,524, issued Jun. 4, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,106, issued Aug. 4, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,103, issued Aug. 20, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,979, issued Oct. 13, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,652, issued Jun. 5, 1990.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,827 is of particular interest since it discloses a rotatable tab member which can be employed to open a single hole comprised of two hole segments. Both segments of the hole must be opened before a drinking straw can be extracted from the container. Extraction of the straw is accomplished by disposing the upper end of a flexible-like straw within a collar which is attached to a panel or portion of the can top covering one of the hole segments. The straw is exposed when the panel is bent upwardly by the tab member.
None of the references cited above suggest or teach the arrangement disclosed and claimed herein which is characterized by its relative simplicity, ease of use, reliability and low cost as compared to known prior art devices.